Failure to Follow Infection Control Protocols During Medication Administration
Penalty
Summary
Staff failed to follow established infection prevention and control protocols during medication administration for three residents. Specifically, a medication technician and an LPN did not perform appropriate hand hygiene before preparing medications, before entering residents' rooms, after administering medications, or after exiting the rooms. In addition, both staff members did not don required personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gowns, when providing care to residents on contact precautions. The facility's policies and posted signage required hand hygiene and the use of gloves and gowns for all interactions involving residents on contact precautions, but these procedures were not followed. During direct observation, the medication technician did not perform hand hygiene at any point during medication preparation or administration for two residents, including one on contact precautions, and was unaware of the need to wear a gown. The LPN also failed to perform hand hygiene after removing gloves and handling medication equipment, and did not wear a gown when administering insulin to a resident on contact precautions. Both staff members acknowledged their lapses in hand hygiene and PPE use during interviews, and the DON confirmed the facility's expectations for these practices.